PMID- 31063023
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20200716
LR  - 20200716
IS  - 1558-9102 (Electronic)
IS  - 1092-4388 (Linking)
VI  - 62
IP  - 5
DP  - 2019 May 21
TI  - The S-SH Confusion Test and the Effects of Frequency Lowering.
PG  - 1486-1505
LID - 10.1044/2018_JSLHR-H-18-0267 [doi]
AB  - Purpose Frequency lowering in hearing aids can cause listeners to perceive [s] as 
      [ʃ]. The S-SH Confusion Test, which consists of 66 minimal word pairs spoken by 6 
      female talkers, was designed to help clinicians and researchers document these 
      negative side effects. This study's purpose was to use this new test to evaluate 
      the hypothesis that these confusions will increase to the extent that low 
      frequencies are altered. Method Twenty-one listeners with normal hearing were 
      each tested on 7 conditions. Three were control conditions that were low-pass 
      filtered at 3.3, 5.0, and 9.1 kHz. Four conditions were processed with nonlinear 
      frequency compression (NFC): 2 had a 3.3-kHz maximum audible output frequency 
      (MAOF), with a start frequency (SF) of 1.6 or 2.2 kHz; 2 had a 5.0-kHz MAOF, with 
      an SF of 1.6 or 4.0 kHz. Listeners' responses were analyzed using concepts from 
      signal detection theory. Response times were also collected as a measure of 
      cognitive processing. Results Overall, [s] for [ʃ] confusions were minimal. As 
      predicted, [ʃ] for [s] confusions increased for NFC conditions with a lower 
      versus higher MAOF and with a lower versus higher SF. Response times for trials 
      with correct [s] responses were shortest for the 9.1-kHz control and increased 
      for the 5.0- and 3.3-kHz controls. NFC response times were also significantly 
      longer as MAOF and SF decreased. The NFC condition with the highest MAOF and SF 
      had statistically shorter response times than its control condition, indicating 
      that, under some circumstances, NFC may ease cognitive processing. Conclusions 
      Large differences in the S-SH Confusion Test across frequency-lowering conditions 
      show that it can be used to document a major negative side effect associated with 
      frequency lowering. Smaller but significant differences in response times for 
      correct [s] trials indicate that NFC can help or hinder cognitive processing, 
      depending on its settings.
FAU - Alexander, Joshua M
AU  - Alexander JM
AD  - Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University,West 
      Lafayette, Indiana.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - United States
TA  - J Speech Lang Hear Res
JT  - Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR
JID - 9705610
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Female
MH  - *Hearing Aids
MH  - Hearing Tests
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Sound
MH  - *Speech Perception
MH  - Young Adult
EDAT- 2019/05/08 06:00
MHDA- 2020/07/17 06:00
CRDT- 2019/05/08 06:00
PHST- 2019/05/08 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2020/07/17 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2019/05/08 06:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1044/2018_JSLHR-H-18-0267 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2019 May 21;62(5):1486-1505. doi: 
      10.1044/2018_JSLHR-H-18-0267.